Quantitative and Qualitative Analysis of Globally Distributed Team Collaboration in Design and Development of Software

Abstract

The goal of this study is to understand the dynamics of collaboration within globally-distributed teams working in a realistic Human-System Interaction design and software engineering context. Quantitative data on communications were collected by capturing virtually all of the communications between the team members. Qualitative data were collected through the interviews conducted by the instructors. The projects successfully ended in the software implementation of the front end of an Android app based on the Human-System Interaction design. The results reveal some of the challenges associated with working in interdisciplinary and global settings and suggest areas of caution for future such HSI educational experiences.